BandedBrunette481

Congrats on your success so far! I also have sporadic amounts of weight loss. Some weeks I don't lose any and then others I lose 3 or 4 pounds. You mentioned you want to start cutting out carbs and sugar and I think that's a great plan. Honestly, I am finally realizing that the weeks I lose the most are when I eat less carbs and sugar and stay well hydrated.
You don't necessarily have to cut out carbs all together, but definitely eat as few as you can. And when you do eat carbs, make sure they aren't the useless white bread kind (aka bad carbs) haha . Go for whole wheat/ whole grain types because they actually have nutritional value. Non-starchy vegetables are a source of good carbs as well.
Best of luck to you!

Bananas always sit weird with me too and I experience that "pressure" feeling for a while. I just stopped eating them because it felt too much like I might get stuck (I never did and never have though!)

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed my message!! It's quite the process trying to retrain ourselves to eat after being banded, but it helps to have the support of others who are going through it as well

I don't have a sample menu, but on my blog I have some posts about high Protein foods and some recipes that you might like. Here's the link: http://blissfullybanded.wordpress.com/recipes/
Another great blog to check out is run by a woman named Shelly. She had RNY done instead of a LapBand, but the diet is pretty similar and adaptable. She has a whole category of posts she calls "A Day in my Pouch" where she details what she eats as well as a bunch of recipe pages! Here's the link to her blog: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

I don't have a sample menu, but on my blog I have some posts about high Protein foods and some recipes that you might like. Here's the link: http://blissfullybanded.wordpress.com/recipes/
Another great blog to check out is run by a woman named Shelly. She had RNY done instead of a LapBand, but the diet is pretty similar and adaptable. She has a whole category of posts she calls "A Day in my Pouch" where she details what she eats as well as a bunch of recipe pages! Here's the link to her blog: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

My surgeon says to call them immediately if I experience symptoms like you are describing after a fill. It definitely sounds like you are too tight! I would call your doctor's emergency number or consider going to urgent care. Best of luck to you!

But she does have restriction in the mornings which is normal for most of us so the band is working 1/3 of the time? The port pain is a concern but would depend on what kind of exercising or work she does? The tube could be wrapped around an organ causing this and I know you'd know more about misplaced foreign objects more than most.
It's quite easy for new bandster's to miss the satiety signals especially if they're consuming a lot of slider foods. It's also possible she's one of those who never feels the satiety signals. And lastly, some WLS patients never get a handle on their craving anxieties and misconstrue cravings as true hunger. Therefore a few session with a nut could resolve this. I know it did for me.
Addressing the daily food intake would be important and if that failed I agree that a 2nd opinion is in order.

Hello! I had my surgery on 4/11 and had horrible complications afterwards due to the pain meds that I was on. I am now feeling a TON better and have an appointment on Thursday! I'm so excited to start this journey. I'm supposed to get a fill on that day, so I feel that my weight loss journey is barely about to begin A few times before and after surgery, I really started to regret my decision to get the lap band. Now, I am SO thankful!!! Last time I checked, I was down 26 pounds since my pre-op! I'm proud of myself!!!

chocolate candy! I'm talking reese's, hershey's, M&M's, etc. That stuff is so easy to eat and it's just empty calories. Not that knowing that makes it any easier to stay away from lol

Bananas always sit weird with me too and I experience that "pressure" feeling for a while. I just stopped eating them because it felt too much like I might get stuck (I never did and never have though!)

I gave up a lot of my favorite foods, but I'm not a strict dieter. I didn't get my LapBand so I could be on a diet the rest of my life. I got it to help me build a new, healthy lifestyle. I eat mostly Protein, I eat the correct portion sizes, I avoid starchy carbs, I stay active, and I drink plenty of Water. Do I still eat pizza, french fries, chocolate, and other stuff like that? Yep. But I eat it in moderation and I don't make it a habit like I did before being banded.
Honestly, I don't even miss that stuff too much anymore. If you get into the healthy choices mindset right away, it becomes habit, and pretty soon it's just second nature to reach for a salad instead of the junk food. I also kicked my carb addiction during the pre-op diet and didn't allow myself to pick it back up after surgery. That helps a ton! It takes a lot of practice and hard work, but it's worth it

Wow! Glad they caught it and you are doing well. I assume you had to have another surgery to get it fixed. Can I ask if your insurance covered the costs of that? I'm always curious about how much insurance is willing to help out if us bandsters ever encounter problems!

Wow! Glad they caught it and you are doing well. I assume you had to have another surgery to get it fixed. Can I ask if your insurance covered the costs of that? I'm always curious about how much insurance is willing to help out if us bandsters ever encounter problems!

@ nailed it. I had a long post-op liquids phase by most standards (6 weeks), after a five day Clear Liquids pre-op. Talk about cleansing your system. It was hard, but doable. I'm glad it's over, but grateful for the benefits it gave me.

It's a common misconception that there is a long list of things you'll never be able to eat again following bariatric surgery. That simply is not true. With a short list of exceptions, I eat anything I want to eat. Once you graduate to a regular diet, it's not about what you "can't" eat, it's about what you "choose" to eat. Or not eat. That's where the all important lifestyle changes come into play. It's all about control, not denial. The miracle of weight loss surgery is that it puts you in control.
You're gonna love the new you!!

I gave up a lot of my favorite foods, but I'm not a strict dieter. I didn't get my LapBand so I could be on a diet the rest of my life. I got it to help me build a new, healthy lifestyle. I eat mostly Protein, I eat the correct portion sizes, I avoid starchy carbs, I stay active, and I drink plenty of Water. Do I still eat pizza, french fries, chocolate, and other stuff like that? Yep. But I eat it in moderation and I don't make it a habit like I did before being banded.
Honestly, I don't even miss that stuff too much anymore. If you get into the healthy choices mindset right away, it becomes habit, and pretty soon it's just second nature to reach for a salad instead of the junk food. I also kicked my carb addiction during the pre-op diet and didn't allow myself to pick it back up after surgery. That helps a ton! It takes a lot of practice and hard work, but it's worth it

I gave up a lot of my favorite foods, but I'm not a strict dieter. I didn't get my LapBand so I could be on a diet the rest of my life. I got it to help me build a new, healthy lifestyle. I eat mostly Protein, I eat the correct portion sizes, I avoid starchy carbs, I stay active, and I drink plenty of Water. Do I still eat pizza, french fries, chocolate, and other stuff like that? Yep. But I eat it in moderation and I don't make it a habit like I did before being banded.
Honestly, I don't even miss that stuff too much anymore. If you get into the healthy choices mindset right away, it becomes habit, and pretty soon it's just second nature to reach for a salad instead of the junk food. I also kicked my carb addiction during the pre-op diet and didn't allow myself to pick it back up after surgery. That helps a ton! It takes a lot of practice and hard work, but it's worth it

This is going to sound silly probably, but the pre-op liquid diet was the best thing that ever happened to me! Lol! Seriously. I thought the same thing when going through it, "this sucks!!!" But now that it's long done and over with, I can look back and appreciate all that it did for me.
Not being able to really eat for 2 weeks puts you in great place for post-op. Your stomach won't be freaking out over a sudden lack of food on top of having the new band around it. And since you have to move through the liquid to mushy to normal food stage soooo slow, you're going to be glad you already have practice at not eating much.
You'll also get a whole new appreciation for food as you move through the stages. I never thought I'd be so excited for refried Beans in my entire life. And never before had I longed for vegetables and salads.
The best thing that came out of my pre-op diet though was that I was able to get my carb addiction under control. Things like bread and rice are no-no's in the post op diet for a while and you'll be so excited about the foods you can eat, you won't miss them at first. Eventually though, you'll be able to eat basically whatever you want again. I just never added starchy carbs like potatoes and white bread back into my diet. I still crave them on occasion, but it's much easier to say no now. I would never have been able to cut out carbs on my own though!! It was all because of the pre-op diet. It set it all in motion for me.
So I know the pre-op diet sucks, but you're going to get through it! You already have a great positive attitude about everything so I know you're going to do great best of luck to you!

Not to freak you out, but the typical symptoms of a slipped band are vomiting, intense acid reflux, chest pain/pressure, and pain when eating. Since you are experiencing so much vomiting it is definitely worth going to see your doctor about!

You have done an amazing job!!! I am with you. I'm proud of the work I've put in to my new body and I'm going to wear what I want this summer

With the amount of weight I have lost I do have some lose skin. But it is really only in my arms, my stomach does not look bad. At first I nervous about summer and going to the beach and then I started to think about it. I have lost 174lbs who cares if my skin is hanging! It shows that I worked my butt off to get where I am at! If someone doesnt like my arms they dont have to look and if they are looking I am just going to tell them...thats what it looks like to lose a whole person!!!
I am so happy with where I am at right now and I am glad I sat back and thought about it! I hope everyone else has the same way of thinking, we have came a long way and who cares if you have some sagging skin it just shows the dedication we have to get where we are at=)

I started low carbing... Now I can't find an appetite. I are practically nothing the past two days which really isn't good so I need to work on that but seriously I don't even want food. Even up until a week ago with the band I was wondering the same question you just posted. I just wanted that satisfaction of "full"

BlissfullyBanded, I, too, have been learning what is 'done' and what is 'too much'. I definitely can eat a much smaller portion of food than I did before, and seconds are usually not an option. But, what you said, done, it's a great way of looking at things!

I love the word "done" I use it for so many things including when I am done with eating a certain amount of food. When I am done I am done, and there is no room for wiggle.
It's not a packed full feeling or even sometimes like you said that satisfied feeling, though in a way I suppose it's both of those things.
When it's done, you just have had enough of it in a healthy way and you can move forward. Love it!
Done!

BlissfullyBanded this was a really great message...and I'm "DONE" with it too!!! Last night for the first time (was banded in Jan) did I feel that I was just DONE with eating anymore...left food on my plate...most of the time I merely just put a little food on my plate...I actually just decided nope I DON'T want anymore!!! That was even before I read this message...so that confirmed it for me-when I did read your message!!! Let us ALL BE DONE WITH IT!!! Happy Band Day's to Us All!!!